Monday, March 18, 2013

LDV in Los Angeles

{Sunny Santa Monica}

Last week, Fabian and I spent a week-long vacation in Los Angeles. Wanting to get away to a place where we could relax, eat great food, and enjoy fabulous shopping without the pressures of seeing all the sights, we knew L.A. was the perfect choice. The city is a familiar favorite and it always feels great to be back. We enjoyed amazing meals at Pizzeria Mozza, The Hungry Cat, Joan’s on Third, Loteria, and Tower Bar. We ventured up to Griffith Observatory for breathtaking views of the city and randomly drove by Jeff Lewis’ house and saw Ron Livingston (Berger from SATC) on his street while exploring the neighborhood nearby. We drove to Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, but unfortunately, it was cold and extremely foggy, so we could barely see the water. That was really the only blip in the trip. Aside from that, we had so much fun and loved seeing friends as well as drawing inspiration from the fabulous design scene as well as from L.A. itself. It’s such a visual city after all!

{The Chamberlain was designed by Kelly Wearstler’s firm. I love the graphic use of tile throughout the property. The rooms are beautifully appointed and the Bistro bar is great for pre-dinner drinks.}

{I was so happy to finally visit Kishani Perera’s eclectic chic shop, Rummage and to get to meet her in person after corresponding for several years! Rummage is a jewel box of a shop with lots of fun finds. It’s on Beverly Boulevard on a really great stretch with some fantastic shopping options.}

{Nathan Turner is one of the sweetest and most talented designers on the planet! He was kind enough to invite us for a visit to his beautifully-curated shop on Melrose. We loved chatting with him. He is so funny and charming.}

{Nathan Turner’s store is truly a reflection of his signature style.}

{We also popped into Harbinger on La Cienega to say hello to my friend, Joe Lucas. His store is so gorgeous and has so many amazing finds including this amazing 11 foot wide Jamie Bush painting. Isn’t it stunning?}

{I also loved this vignette, especially the Chinoiserie cabinet in the front of Harbinger.}

{Our favorite discovery was Lucca Antiques on La Cienega. They have the most amazing collection of pieces in all styles from all eras. The mix is so fabulous. I am lucky that my husband also works in the design industry and enjoys visiting showrooms as much as I do!}

{One of my favorite moments about this trip was getting to spend some time with my dear friend, Mark Sikes. We last saw each other in New York several months ago, so it was wonderful to catch up. Mark was so sweet to invite us to his home and then out to dinner. His home is even more gorgeous in person, if you can believe it. I’ll be sharing some photos later this week. In the meantime, be sure to check out the One Kings Lane Design Bloggers Sale that Mark and several other friends of LDV are a part of tonight!}

I love taking trips like this with my husband because they always seem to bring us closer. In addition, we always come home feeling so inspired. I am so ready to keep working towards the goal that I will be sharing with you very soon. I am also reminded of how lucky I am to be part of the blogging and design communities. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to see and experience the things that I do and to befriend people whom I admire so very much. I will be sharing more photos from my trip on Instagram this week, so be sure to follow along!

Quite envious of this trip! So lucky that your husband is in the field and enjoys the same things. I am so grateful that my husband will "put up with" my obsession when we visit new places...and always with a smile :)